TerrorTalks International

" They were quick at killing. It did not take them very long, and they said nothing while they were doing it. They killed all 26. I was horrified. I knew all these people. They were my family, my friends, my neighbors. When they finished I slipped away and went to my home, where I sat trembling all over."

It was Christmas Day, 25 December 2008. Christmas the feast of hearts. But right here and now, it was anything but Christmas-like and heart-warming...

The young man stood at the bus stop and waited. He was wearing a full military uniform and had an M16 rifle over his shoulder. His beard was long, and on either side of his face, two dark, curly locks of hair hung and caressed his cheeks. On his head, he wore a kippah, a hemispherical traditional Jewish skull cap often worn by ultra-Orthodox Jewish men to symbolize their religious affiliation...

Every year, on the 14th of July, thousands of people pour into the streets of France. France's National Day, also called Bastille Day, is celebrated here. It is considered the starting point for the French Revolution, which started on the 14th of July 1789 and has been celebrated every year since...

Jordan and Andre Anchondo had a busy morning. The couple, who had just celebrated their first wedding anniversary, had invited friends and family to their eldest daughter Skylin's 6th birthday that day. It was Saturday, 3 August 2019. When they dropped off their daughter for cheerleading practice, they drove towards the local supermarket Walmart in El Paso in the southernmost part of Texas in the USA. The thermometer already showed over 32 degrees, even though it was only mid-morning...

The young Dane sat naked in the military tent while the scornful comments poured down on Ham. The year was 2001 and he was in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan. The man was bound with chains on his hands and feet. He could do nothing about the soldiers' disgusting comments, or when they began to shave off his hair and long beard. It was humiliating, but he tried to calm himself by reciting the Qur'an...

The elderly Arab man tried to catch his breath as he made himself as small as possible in the cramped, smelly drain he had taken refuge in. Sweat ran down his face and his khaki pants and shirt were soaked with sweat. Perhaps he knew even then that all hope was lost. Maybe he did not even think about it in the few moments he was alone on the phone. Outside the drainage pipe, there was chaos of gunfire and screeching car tires from war-torn trucks arriving on the scene...

On Via Fani, a downward-sloping hill in northern Rome, Italy, four small, angular Fiat cars were parked. In the cars sat men and women wearing crew uniforms belonging to the staff of the Italian airline Alitalia. It was 08:45 on the morning of March 16, 1978. The sun was shining and the weather forecast predicted a pleasant day with temperatures up to 16 degrees. A few minutes to nine, a blue and larger and more exclusive edition Fiat approached the Via Mario Fani road...

The sultan straightened his uniform. Then he put his ribbons across his uniform, attached his medals, and finally donned his red fez. Then he took one last look at himself in the mirror before heading out of the palace to the horse-drawn carriage that would take him to the Yildiz Mosque for the weekly Friday prayer. It was July 21, 1905, in Istanbul, the capital of the gigantic Ottoman Empire...

It was August 1 2009, in Israel's largest city, Tel Aviv. The weather was over 30C, even though it was approaching 11pm. The Aguda building Bar-Noar, which housed the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Association, is a restored Bauhaus building in Meir Park in the city centre. As always, the centre was attended by gay teenagers who participated in social activities and listened to music...

It was Saturday, June 22, 1985, at 13:30 in the afternoon in the city of Vancouver in Canada. The phone rang at the Air India ticket office.
"Hello. It is "Manjit Singh". I would like to confirm that my bookings on Air India Flight 181/182”.
The friendly employee at the office informed him that he was still on the waiting list and offered him a number of alternatives, which he declined.
At 3:50 p.m...